Beautiful Souls
by DAnNSfreak
Summary: My first M&Ms. Lindsay's being there at Danny's time of need. Please read!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Ain't mine… never have been, never will be. Oh, wait, Carmine belongs to me. That's right… I own him! Ok… no I don't. sigh

Ok, my first M&M's story! And it's so darn long and I'm having a hard time deciding whether to put it all in one chapter or split it into two… oh, well, we'll see if I get lazy at the end of this…

And no, I haven't abandoned Father and Daughter, just exams and my co-writer just gave the latest chapter to me and I'll get it up soon. Meanwhile, enjoy! (And leave a review!)

Spoilers for Heroes, (Hah… how about that, spoilers when I myself haven't seen the episode yet… lol…)

**Beautiful Souls**

One look at his face and Lindsay knew that Danny was having, in Daniel Powter's words, 'a bad day'. And it was only the start of the day. Mac hadn't even handed out their cases yet.

But then, Danny had been down in the dumps and had this aura of sadness practically radiating off him for the past couple of days already. Ever since he heard of the death of Lindsay's predecessor, Aiden Burn.

He hadn't cracked a single joke or witty line and the precious few smiles he gave were all painfully forced.

From this huge change, Lindsay knew that Danny probably cared about this Aiden a lot…

And Lindsay was having a hard time denying to herself that _she _cared about _Danny _a lot.

Hadn't she asked Stella how much Aiden had meant to him? Two days later, she still can't answer why that question escaped her mouth. Was she just concerned about Danny? Was she curious?

Much as Lindsay didn't want to admit it, she probably did have the answer. She was… jealous.

Sure, she could have easily and willingly thrown a dagger at Danny the first day she met him, when he played that stupid 'always call him sir' trick on her, that caused her great embarrassment with her new boss. And how about all the times he kept on calling her that silly nickname, Montana?

But as each day passed, Lindsay found Danny to be a compassionate, good humored, and caring guy. And she was beginning to like the name Montana, and how no one else calls her that except for him… There were so many times that when they were alone, Lindsay wanted something to happen between them.

And now, out of nowhere, this Aiden Burn came into the picture, showing Lindsay that Danny already had someone he cared for in his life.

But she's dead now, isn't she? So what's stopping Lindsay from-

But Lindsay could never wish a tragedy on anyone, let alone her colleagues, who are all extremely ripped up over Aiden's death, especially Danny.

Needless to say, she really wanted the old Danny back, the one that will make all kinds of jokes and talk with everyone else instead of the Danny Messer now, who just broods in a corner, doing his work, not saying a word to anyone. So the question is, now what?

Realizing her thoughts were merely going in circles, Lindsay snapped out of it and looked around the break room, where she was standing, drinking her coffee.

Stella and Hawkes were seated at the table, going through the day's newspapers in silence.

Danny had just entered, eyes downcast and lips in a tight line. He headed towards the coffee machine, where Lindsay was standing.

She immediately picked up a fresh cup of coffee beside her and held it out towards Danny. She had made this extra cup, just the way he liked it; two sugars, no cream.

Danny stopped short and stared at the cup with an unreadable expression on his face.

What was maybe 5 seconds felt like 5 minutes as Danny continued staring at the cup in Lindsay's hand.

Then, he winced a little and walked pass her, "Why don't you take that?" He proceeded to taking a separate cup and filled that instead.

Lindsay drew the cup back, feeling hurt. Why didn't he want it? She watched discreetly and saw him dump 2 sugar cubes into his coffee, no different from the one she had made for him.

She turned away, surprised at how hurt she felt. What was the big deal? Maybe he just preferred making his own coffee…

The, she saw Stella and Hawkes looking at Danny in a weird way, was it irritation?

Hawkes suddenly called out, "I'll take it if you don't want it,"

Stella chimed in, "Aw, I could use another cup. I like the way Linds makes her coffee, very tasty…"

Hawkes smirked, "Too late! Me first," He took the cup from Lindsay, who found this exchange very weird.

Then she suddenly realized that this was their way for apologizing for Danny's rejection. Like she wasn't gonna be able to see through that…

There was an uncomfortable silence where Danny continued looking every where but his colleagues' eyes, then thankfully, Mac came in, "Ok, gang, Stella and Danny, homicide. Hawkes, Lindsay with me, possible arson. Let's go."

Less than stoked, they headed out the door. Lindsay was now feeling the pits.

And the fact that she saw Hawkes handing over the cup of coffee he took from her to Mac out of the corner of her eye, did not make her feel any better.

* * *

Turns out that the apparent arson wasn't an arson at all. More of human's careless nature. The owner had overloaded the circuits with all his electronic gadgets and caused a mini explosion.

Still, they had to process the scene and by the time that was done and they got back to the lab, shift had ended.

Mac, as usual, headed back to his office to get more work done. Lindsay, however, followed Hawkes back to the locker room to get their stuff and call it al day.

They met Stella there, slipping on her jacket, "Oh, hi, guys. How was your case?"

Hawkes replied, "No real crime, although I ought to check out that guy's financial records. He owns way too much cool stuff to me legitimate… Why not hand that absolutely cool Macbook to people who really need it?"

Lindsay grinned, "Like you, Sheldon?"

Hawkes replied, "Exactly." He went over to his locker and starting throwing out the stuff he was taking home with him, "Hey, wanna go grab a beer?"

Stella grinned, "Sure, why not? Always nice to wind down after work with the sight of Hawkes trying to juggle beer bottles… and end up splashing beer all over Danny…"

Hawkes protested, "Hey… that was an accident. Not my fault that Danny chose to stand up at that very second…"

Stella laughed, "He did now stand up! You dropped in on his head!"

Hawkes shrugged, "Accident…"

Lindsay had to laugh as well. Those were happy times. Still is…

Then, a thought occurred to her, "Where's Danny?"

Stella's face fell a little, "He went home already. Said he wasn't feeling well."

Lindsay nodded and turned to her own locker, questions popping into her head again, not to mention, the little twinge of worry for Danny.

Then, Stella said, "Hey, Lindsay… I know Danny hasn't been at his best these past couple of days… and…"

Lindsay said, "No, no, it's fine, Stella. I understand. He just lost a dear friend… you all have… and I'm really sorry about that and I understand completely…"

Hawkes said, "About this morning…"

Lindsay cut in before he could go any further, "Y'know what, guys? I think I'm gonna take a rain check today." She grabbed her bag and shut her locker.

Looking concerned, Stella asked, "Are you sure?"

Lindsay plastered a huge smile on her face, which she hoped was convincing enough, "Yeah, you know, things to do… errands to run…"

Stella nodded, "Oh-kaay… if you're sure. See you tomorrow."

Hawkes added as well, "Have a good night."

"You guys too, okay? And Hawkes? Don't juggle anymore… I think Danny's hair still smells of beer…" Lindsay said with a grin.

Hawkes smirked and said, "Y'know, I might try juggling beer mugs this time!"

Stella exclaimed, "No way Hawkes! Not even a beer bottle cork!"

With that, Lindsay left them to argue the finer arts of juggling and walked onto the street. She always enjoyed walking down the New York streets, everything is just bustling with activity. It was quite and entirely different atmosphere from back home.

Since it was already late evening, the streets were filled with colourful lights and the smell of different foods as the restaurants started concocting delicious meals for New York's hungry citizens.

Lindsay suddenly caught the smell of Luigi's famous pizzas and her stomach rumbled, and she remembered that she had nothing to eat all day except for a lone hot dog during lunch.

She walked up to his store and saw Danny's favorite pizza flavor was on a promotion offer today and she had a sudden idea.

Without thinking any further, she ordered the special (Hawaiian Chicken, this one, with 50 more pineapples, Danny absolutely loves pineapples, a mystery Lindsay never understood…), hailed a cab, and told him Danny Messer's address.

As the cab eased into the traffic, Lindsay settled into her seat and a little apprehension crept over her. Was this idea good or bad?

TBC

Ok, I'm getting lazy and I've got a huge sore throat right now… not the best conditions for typing… I'll finish the rest later.

Review and let me know what you think! Muchas gracias!


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: None of the characters belong to me, except Mrs. Harmon! Lol… Just borrowing them to play around with…

Wow! Thanks for all the reviews, **sparkyCSI, A. Boleyn** (Haha… yeah, long live DnA! But gotta love M&M's…), **Shortcake82, artigiano, cutieme012, dopeyidiot, HyacinthBucket **(thanks, I am feeling better, after one hell of a night sneezing… lol…), **kasmith101, snowbear96, Erica, Dryan89, chili-peppers **andcool! I learnt a new word! Lol.), **wjobsessed (**thanks! It really stinks… and I have school today! sigh).

All questions answered here in Chapter two, enjoy!

**Beautiful Souls, Chapter 2**

Soon enough, the cab pulled up in front of Danny's apartment building. Lindsay paid the fare and had arrived at the lift and pressed the 'up' button before she realized this is the first time she's ever been to Danny's home.

And, she's not even sure which floor he was on…

Was it 6th? Or 7th? Come to think of it, Danny might have said 9th…

Oh drat.

Here she was standing in the lobby with a hot box of pizza. That security guard was starting to shoot her suspicious looks…

'Maybe he knows where Danny lives…' Lindsay thought as she watched the numbers of the lift slide slowly down. Yeah, right… excuse me, I'd like to know the address for one of the people living here… no, I'm not trying to rob him… no… I'm not a pizza delivery person… _right…_

Just as Lindsay was about to start pushing the panic button, a hunched old lady came into the lobby, hands filled with grocery bags, and she was struggling to walk nearer to the lift.

Immediately, Lindsay went over to offer help, "Here you go, ma'am," she said, catching a brown bag in her hand before the eggs inside hatched into a gooey mess.

"Oh, thank you, dear!" The relieved tone in the lady's voice was very palable.

The elevator bell dinged and the door opened. Seeing no other choices, Lindsay followed the woman in.

"Which floor, ma'am?" Lindsay asked, adjusting the bag and her own pizza box so that a finger was free to push the buttons.

"Six, dear. Thank you very much," she smiled.

Lindsay smiled back, "No problem at all ma'am,"

The woman eyes the pizza box in Lindsay's hand and made a sniffing sound, "Mm… smells good. Luigi's Hawaiian Chicken?"

Amused, Lindsay replied, "Yes, ma'am."

She chuckled, "You remind me a lot about my neighbor. Every week without fail he'll buy a box back home for himself. I could always smell it. This old nose never fails, y'know…" she grins enthusiastically, thinking of this neighbor of hers, "He's a very helpful boy. Always helping me with my groceries and feeding dear Spotty when I'm not home… ah… such a sweet boy…"

After a pause, the spunky old lady said, "Oh, you haven't pressed your floor yet, dear,"

Lindsay smiled sheepishly, wondering what to say. But she settled on the truth, maybe this lady will know Danny. She looks the type to socialize with everybody in the building, "Uh… actually… I'm looking for a friend,"

"Ooh... must be a special friend, buying dinner for him… or her…" she added foxily.

Lindsay smiled, "Uh… kinda… but the problem is this is the first time I'm here, and I forgot his address…"

The lady might have jumped and clapped if her hands weren't so full, "Ooh… he…" She made that one syllable word last at least four. Lindsay felt herself blushing, "Good for you, girl! You seem too nice of a young lady not to have a special someone in your life,"

"Uh... no… he's just a… friend…" Lindsay protested.

"Oh, okay, then…" she answered but Lindsay was a good enough CSI to detect the sarcasm in her tone.

"Anyway dear, tell me his name. I might be able to help you. Oh, and if I can't, we can always ask dear Danny next door, he might know!"

Lindsay stopped short, "Uh… Danny?"

The lady's face pretty much lighted up, "Yes! That's the nice boy next door to me. Danny Messer. He's a detective, y'know, much more observant of the neighbors than I am. He might be able to tell you who lives where…"

Lindsay had trouble hiding her stunned expression and this little old lady once again proved that she might even be brighter than Lindsay herself, "Unless…" she eyed Lindsay carefully, "It's Danny you are looking for!"

The elevator 'pinged' again at the 6th floor and the doors slid open. Seeing nothing else to do, Lindsay merely nodded.

The lady gave out a whoop of joy as they stepped into the corridor. Lindsay followed her down to the end of the corridor where two doors faced opposite each other.

Suddenly playing matchmaker, the lady said to Lindsay, "I'll call him for you, dear…"

Highly embarrassed, Lindsay couldn't do anything but watch her walk up to Danny's door. Throwing her packages to Lindsay, she knocked on the door, "Oh, Danny dear! You have a guest!" she said in a loud, sing-song voice.

If there was ever a time where Lindsay wanted to run helter-skelter for the nearest place to hide her face, it was now.

After a moment, the door swung open and Danny appeared in the doorway, wearing dark long pants, a yellow long sleeved sweater with it's sleeves rolled up to his elbow, and a quizzical expression on his face.

"Mrs. Harmon… what-?" He suddenly caught sight of Lindsay, smiling sheepishly from behind Mrs. Harmon's packages and said, "Lindsay?"

Lindsay could only offer a feeble, "Hi…"

Mrs. Harmon let out a girlyish giggle and grabbed all her packages from Lindsay and walked towards her own door, "Don't worry, dear, I can manage. You go ahead inside," then to Danny, she said, "Treat her right!" which made Lindsay blush again.

Someway or another, Mrs. Harmon managed to open her door, flashed them a happy grin before shutting her door, leaving the two in stunned silence.

After a moment, Danny muttered, without a smile, "Uh… wanna come in?" He opened the door further for her.

Lindsay nodded, "Thanks."

She entered and Danny shut the door, "Excuse me for a sec, I left something on the stove…" he mumbled, "Uh… make yourself at home…" and he wandered off towards what Lindsay presumed to be the kitchen, where a nice smell of pasta was emitting from.

"I bought you some-" began Lindsay but Danny had already disappeared into the kitchen, "-pizza…" She started to look around.

Danny's apartment was really neat. Lindsay didn't know why, but she was always under the impression that Danny is the kind of bachelor with a crib filled with empty beer bottles, shoes, baseball bat and newspapers lying on the floor.

Or something like that…

But Danny's place was very clean. A single black couch faced a glass coffee table, which was empty except for a copy of the day's New York Times and the TV remote, and TV set with a not cheap, nor expensive home entertainment system.

A multipurpose shelf stood beside the TV, one section filled with a collection of CD's like Coldplay, Lifehouse, U2, guitar instrumentals, and to her somewhat amusement, _Jesse McCartney._

On top of the CD shelf, were books, a couple of dictionaries and encyclopedias, a few John Grishams, the Dan Brown set, and a few forensic journals.

And above that, was a small collection of DVDs, the titles too far for Lindsay to read.

On the left of the living room was the kitchen, and straight ahead led to the bedroom and bathroom.

There was nothing on the walls but on top of the TV, was a picture frame, with the photo of Danny as a teen, with three others whom she assumed to be his mum, dad, and brother, Louie.

Suddenly, she heard Danny's voice behind her, "So, uh… what are you doing here anyway?"

Lindsay turned around and said, "Stella said you weren't feeling well. So, I was kinda worried…"

She thought she saw Danny flash one of his signature smiles at her, but it lasted barely for a second, then the sad-faced Messer was back, "It's nothing… just a headache…"

"Well, I bought pizza for you…" she held up the warm box and a warm smile as well, "Luigi was having a special promotion for Hawaiian Chicken. 50 more pineapples…"

Danny merely stared at her, the exact same way he did this morning.

Just when Lindsay felt certain he was going to blow her off just like this morning, Danny actually cracked his first true, warm smile in days and he nodded, "Thanks."

Them just before he took the box from her, he said, "I'll take it on one condition," holding up a finger, "That you eat some of my special pasta as well."

Lindsay grinned, "Deal…" _Yes!_

"Great. Have a seat," he pointed towards the small dining table in the corner, "Hope you don't mind, I only cooked for one. Didn't think anyone will be coming over..."

Lindsay nodded, "No problem. We have pizza too…"

Danny went into the kitchen and soon came back out with a steaming bowl filled with spaghetti and meatballs. He gave Lindsay a large serving before piling on a generous amount onto his own plate.

It tasted really, really good. So good, that Lindsay couldn't help but say, "This is really delicious, Danny. Did you really cook this?"

Danny feigned a wounded expression, "Hey, my talents aren't confined to microscopes and test tubes, ok? Give me some credit…"

Lindsay laughed, now this is the old Danny she knew and loved.

Whoops… did she say _love?_Get a grip, Monroe…

After a short pause, Danny stood up, "Want some music? I always put something on when I'm eating at home…"

Lindsay nodded, "Sure… speaking of music, I didn't think you were the Jesse McCartney type…"

Danny cleared his throat, "Um… gift from Mrs. Harmon next door… I walk her dog whenever I can and she gave me this… I mean, you saw what she's like… I never really played it though…"

Lindsay snorted, "C'mon, Messer…"

He looked at her for a moment, then laughed, "Fine… I did… and I like 'Beautiful Soul' and 'She's No You', in case you're wondering… But she was the one who gave the CD to me…"

Lindsay grinned, "Riiight…."

Danny grinned back, Believe what you want, Montana…"

And he ended up putting that CD in anyway…

I don't want another pretty face  
I don't want just anyone to hold  
I don't want my love to go to waste  
I want you and your beautiful soul

Lindsay was in a good enough mood now that Danny was being himself again. She started singing along to the song as well.

Danny got back into his seat and said, "Y'know, I didn't think a country girl like you would like songs from Jesse McCartney…"

Lindsay laughed, "Well, I think he is cute! And his voice is really sweet…"

Danny shrugged facially, "If you like kids… I mean, he's kinda young, isn't he?"

Lindsay couldn't resist, "Unlike you, you mean?"

Lindsay expected him to laugh, or tease her back, but instead, his eyes turned slightly red, as if holding back tears.

"Uh… Danny?"

He shook his head quickly, like trying to dislodge a stubborn bug, "I'm sorry…"

"Danny, what's wrong?"

His voice was clear, although his eyes weren't, "Y'know… Aiden and I were supposed to be having dinner together tonight…"

Lindsay felt a sinking feeling in her gut. Great. So he did love Aiden Burn.

Am I crazy for wanting you  
Baby do you think you could want me too  
I don't wanna waste your time  
Do you see things the way I do  
I just wanna know that you feel it too  
There is nothing left to hide

'Oh, shut up, Jesse…' Lindsay thought, then she looked up at Danny, "I'm sorry…"

Danny shook his head, "No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that…"

Lindsay said quietly, "You really miss her, don't you?"

Danny nodded, "Yeah… I mean… she still has her whole life ahead of her... so why-?"

Lindsay eyed Danny's hand which was lying on the table. After a slight hesitation, she put her own hand on top of his and gave it a gentle squeeze, "Do you believe in God, Danny?"

Danny looked at her curiously, "Yeah. Why?"

"When my favorite grandfather died when I was just a kid, I was so upset. Then, my mum told me that God needed an angel, so He took granpa… I think that God did the same thing here. He needed an angel, and he picked Aiden…" said Lindsay.

There was a short pause and Danny smiled, "Thanks, Montana…"

Then, he continued, "Uh, listen… about this morning… the coffee?"

Lindsay nodded.

"Aiden used to do the exact same thing for me every morning when she used to work here… I know it's a stupid excuse, but, blast from the past, y'know…" he shrugged, "Sorry if I offended you. I guess I was pretty out of it these past couple of days… but now…" he smiled at her and put his hand over hers, "Thanks."

Lindsay smiled. Sometimes, the simplest of words can bring the deepest of meanings.

* * *

"Look, Stella, I'm sorry, ok? I know a really good laundry service that can get rid of that stain," said Hawkes as he dished out a Fruit Bar from the vending machine in the break room.

"If you say so, Hawkes… but if my favorite blouse gets ruined, I'm gonna take your salary for the next three months," said Stella disgruntly.

Lindsay came in, catching this strange exchange, "What happened?"

Stella muttered, "David 'Copperhawkes' here managed to smash egg all over my blouse last night…"

Hawkes said, "Look, I'm sorry! But that trick really worked in that book I read last time… I dunno what went wrong…"

Stella groaned, "And I suppose the same thing happened to Flack's watch?"

Hawkes smiled sheepishly, "I'm sure it'll turn up somewhere…"

Stella rolled her eyes and turned to Lindsay, "You were lucky to not come with us yesterday. Where did you go anyway?"

Lindsay smiled nervously, "Uh, well…"

Right at that moment, Danny entered the room and practically skipped over to the coffee machine, "Good morning! Isn't it a great day?"

Stella and Hawkes looked at each other, probably thinking the same thing, that Danny had finally cracked under all that sadness, or had consumed at least 5 cans of Coca-cola this morning.

"Um, 'morning, Danny…" said Stella.

Danny played around with the coffee machine efficiently and emerged with two cups of steaming hot coffee. He handed one to Lindsay, who accepted it with a grin.

"Isn't it a nice day? Just make you wanna go out and catch bad guys, eh?" he grinned.

Stella said uncertainly, "Uh, Danny, are you feeling ok?"

Danny quickly gulped down his coffee, "Yeah, sure. Why wouldn't I be?"

He finished up his coffee and grabbed the file he left on the desk, "Gotta go, gonna go solve crimes!" He walked out but stopped at the door and said to Lindsay, "We're still on tonight, right?"

Avoiding Stella and Hawkes' eyes, she grinned at Danny, "Sure. See you,"

Danny nodded and walked out. (Oh, 'morning, Mac!)

Stella and Hawkes looked like a pair of dead fish with their mouths hanging open.

Stella turned to Lindsay, "What was that?"

Lindsay smiled as she headed out the door, "What was what?"

Before Stella could reply, she headed out the room.

Who cares? Let them wonder…

I don't want another pretty face  
I don't want just anyone to hold  
I don't want my love to go to waste  
I want you and your beautiful soul

END

Done. Finally! phew Hope you will liked it, and leave a review! Thanks!

For the record, I am not a fan of Jesse McCartney… lol…


End file.
